People make all sorts of excuses why we should let illegal immigrants stay in the United States. But there should be one thing most Virginians can agree upon: If illegal immigrants are already in jail — if we already have them in custody — we should go ahead and deport them. The logic is doubly compelling if they have been convicted of a crime.
The State Crime Commission gets it. Virginia sheriffs would be required to initiate deportation proceedings against suspected illegal immigrants under a proposal announced Tuesday by the State Crime Commission’s illegal immigration task force, reports Tim McGlone with the Virginian-Pilot. If approved by the General Assembly, jailers would begin the deportation process instead of waiting for federal immigration agents to take custody.
Writes McGlone:
Jails have complained that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency responsible for taking deportees, sometimes does not respond to their calls. That means that a jail must release a suspected illegal immigrant after he or she has served jail time or gets out on bond. …
Only a handful of Virginia sheriffs departments participate in a voluntary federal program that trains deputies to recognize illegal immigrants and initiate the deportation process. The plan announced Tuesday would make the program mandatory for every jail in the state. [State Sen. Kenneth] Stolle [R-Virginia Beach]said legislation would be prepared before the next General Assembly session in January.
If defenders of illegal immigration want to go to bat for criminal aliens, not just hard-working paysans who slip into this country to make a living, let them go ahead. It’s a losing proposition.
In related news… It turns out that there’s a 40-person cap on how many illegals Prince William County can deport each month. The Examiner quotes Board Chairman Corey Stewart as noting that more than 100 illegal immigrants could be deported each month if the Immigration and Customs Enforcement had the money.
Hmmm. That may be an issue the State Crime Commission should consider. There may not be much point in cranking up the illegal-immigrant enforcement apparatus if the federal government can’t handle the volume.
